This move doesn’t mean the Bengals won’t look at cornerbacks earlier in the NFL draft. Like Nate Clements, Jason Allen is over 30 and just a stopgap. Allen might not be a starting caliber cornerback, but he was one of the better nickel cornerbacks last season for Houston and he can also play safety, a position of need for the Bengals. With Leon Hall no sure thing for 2012 with a torn Achilles, the Bengals did well to add a veteran and cheap (2 years 8.2 million) depth cornerback. He’s especially cheap when you compare him to Richard Marshall and Dmitri Patterson, who got 3 years 16 million, despite being inferior nickel cornerbacks.

Grade: A